The Ramblings of an Old Vet

[rebelcoyote]

With the way things have been going with the war in Iraq, more people than ever have become interested in hearing a “soldiers perspective.” Yet I find myself answering the most complicated questions with the most dilute answers. It’s hard to describe the experience of being an occupying soldier in a foreign city. One separated from your home by

Comments

[cos]

Thank you for posting this. I found it useful, even though I read a lot about Iraq, from a very wide variety of sources. It also reminds me of the time a woman I met in Finland told me about their prejudices about "Americans" and asked me if America is really like what they think it is, and I tried to convey to her the vastness and diversity of this country.

I hope you find time and inspiration to focus on bits and pieces of the Iraqi whole, as you know it, and write about them.

[roninspoon]

I get asked this sort of thing a lot too, and I always have to think about how I reply because I really don't have any more of an idea of what's going on than those that are asking me. My experiences with the region and the politics are more than a decade old now, they were formed during a previous administration and a previous war. I try to tell them that we don't know what's going on, that the media coverage is likely not very fair and that even if you consume information from a diverse range of sources, you'll only receive stories that interest reporters, not stories that may interest you. I try to remind them that the only ones who really know what's going on, are either too scared or too busy to talk about it, and even if they did, they have far too much emotional investment to speak without bias.

I tell them that I suspect there is a much different attitude and feeling in places that aren't major cities. I imagine many journalists don't like to leave their compounds and stray from the metropolitan areas to find out what's going

People are people

[wolfmaen]

Anyone seen Three Kings

[insomnia]

Awhile back, I saw a documentary taken in the weeks following the fall of Baghdad. US soldiers casually walking around through the streets, giving candy to Iraqi children, lifting them up on their tank and showing them the insides.

The idea seemed so ludicrous nowadays, and the fact that it was so ludicrous was sad indeed.

[suilven]

I too have been reading your blogg for some time now. I never read it without being moved at the simplicity of your writing and thoughts. Simplicity has great honesty and beauty. Thank-you for taking the time to write and to share them with us.